Kylea Fortner, 16, and Shaeleen Fortner, 14, both of Binghamton, were found Wednesday at a home in nearby Vestal. 29-year-old Amanda Hellman pleaded not guilty Thursday to a felony count of second-degree kidnapping. She was being held without bail.

Authorities say the Fortner sisters were reported missing on April 27, 2015. They were last seen waiting to get on a school bus at the end of the day's classes.

Authorities allege that Hellman brought the girls to her home and "conducted numerous acts to prevent law enforcement from returning the two children to their foster parents."

Authorities describe Hellman as a "family acquaintance" of the sisters, but did not elaborate on how she knew them.